


a series of moments

by orphan_account



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Character Death a la Stolen Century, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Bonding, Spoilers for Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, Spoilers for Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, TAZ November Celebration 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: I'll be posting all the shorts I write for the TAZ November Celebration tag here in one big collection in addition to my tumblr. It's been a long time since I've written fanfic and even longer since I've written for a challenge but I hope you all enjoy regardless, love ya <3
Relationships: Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Magnus Burnsides & The Director | Lucretia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. day 1 - domesticity

Taako sighed as he leaned against the doorframe of the room he just had entered after knocking a few times with no response. In recent weeks Kravitz’s office had begun to look more and more like some kind of paper cyclone had just finished tearing through it, stacks of forms precariously balanced on just about any surface available, some stray sheets having found their way to the floor beneath to be found later when some unfortunate soul ends up slipping on one. It had been a few months since The Day of Story and Song and between all the paperwork involved with this world threatening kind of incident, the struggles of handling the influx of souls lost in the battles and the general chaos of that day, and the recent uptick of necromancers getting into all kinds of messes trying to acquire the kind of power Barry and Lup had achieved in their lichdom, Kravitz had been almost non-stop busy, spending most his time out in the field, in meetings with his goddess which tended to run long more often than not or locked away in his office . 

The reaper in question was currently asleep at his desk, his chin resting heavily in one of his hands, a few locks of his hair having slipped out from where he had tied it back and his reading glasses starting to slip down the bridge of his nose. He had clearly settled there almost as soon as he had come home, his suit coat draped over the armchair in the corner, his shirts sleeves rolled to the elbows and its top buttons undone. He had been in the middle of writing out some report when he had fallen asleep, his pen resting on a half written word that trailed off in an abrupt line. 

After taking a second to admire the serene look on Kravitz's face, Taako stood up from his slouch and carefully made his way over to the desk, picking up a few of the fallen papers on his way and setting them on one of the many stacks before making his way to the side of the desk where Kravitz’s chair was and placing a hand on the man's shoulder. Taako had assumed he couldn’t have been very deep asleep in the position he was sitting in and was proved correct when Kravitz started awake at the touch, sitting up and turning to blink blearily at Taako.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry, didn’t hear you come in. Was there something you needed, love?” Kravitz asked, taking his glasses off his face entirely and rubbing at one of his eyes.

“Nah, nothing in particular really. Was mainly just coming to check in on you, see if you wanted to join me and the other death geeks for dinner. Me and Lup finally perfected that recipe we’ve been toying with for a while.” Taako replied, tucking one of the locks that had fallen forward back into its place and smiling slightly when Kravitz leaned his head into the touch momentarily.

“Seeing as you were in the middle of a long overdue meeting with the sandman though, I figure we can call a rain check on dinner and turn in early for once? No pun intended but you look like death warmed over, babe.” he continued, grinning wider as the man before him chuckled at the statement and sat up fully in the chair, stretching his arms above him.

“As lovely as that sounds, Taako, I’m afraid I can’t. Most of this is already long overdue and I can’t afford to put it off much longer.” Kravitz replied, grimacing as he scanned the mess of a room before him, likely not looking forward to what’s almost certain to be another all-nighter. 

“C’mon, can’t you have one of your interns do that kind of stuff for you? That’s something you could totally do, Barold told me you guys have those,” the elf whined, putting on an exaggerated pout and draping his arms over Kravitz’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry but this is really very important, I’d rather not trust it to someone else. You’ll have to apologize to Barry and Lup for me. I’ll make it up to you all some time soon.” he said, smiling apologetically up at Taako. 

Taako huffed and stood back up to his full height, crossing his arms and giving his boyfriend a more thorough examination. He was clearly still very tired, even with the front he was putting up, and now that he thought about it, Taako was pretty sure this was actually the first time this week he had seen Kravitz actually asleep, even if it had only been for a few minutes. Yeah no, that wasn’t really gonna fly, not on Taako’s watch. Mind made up, Taako pulled his stone of farspeech out of his pocket, dialing Lup’s frequency and waiting for it to connect.

“Hey bro-bro, what’s up?” came Lup’s voice through the stone after only a few seconds.

“Not much Lulu, just wanted to call ahead and let you know me and Krav can’t make it over tonight. We can reschedule later but I’ve gotta drag bone boy here to bed before he ends up double dead.” he replied, pointedly ignoring the look Kravitz was giving him. 

Lup laughed at that and responded “Yeah, that’s cool. I can forgive you guys skipping on bonding time if you can actually get him to give in. He looks increasingly like shit lately.”

“I know right? Side note, only ch’boy gets to say rude stuff like that about my man. Anyway, peace Lulu, love ya,” he said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. Turning back to Kravitz, Taako meets his gaze and holds it, arms crossed and one hip cocked, daring him to protest the decision. Kravitz opens his mouth to speak, looking torn between amusement and exasperation but before he can talk, Taako sticks one hand out to interrupt him.

“Look, babe, I understand what you do is very important and that you’re super crazy busy and all those other excuses you tell yourself, but I’m being serious here. Ain’t nothing gonna get done period if you work yourself to the point of falling apart. Put it on hold for now and you can get right back to it with a clearer head,” Taako says this as he walks back over Kravitz, plopping himself down on the man’s lap and draping his arms over his shoulders, which earned him a little huff of laughter.

“As much as I want to argue, my head starts swimming every time I look at all this mess for too long. I’ll concede for now,” Kravitz agrees with a sigh, nuzzling his face into the elf’s neck, pressing a kiss to a spot under his jaw that draws an appreciative hum out of the man. Taako leans back, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek before standing up, grabbing Kravitz’s hand to pull him up out of the chair and towards their shared bedroom. 

“C’mon hot stuff, as comfy as your chair may be, I’m fairly certain a bed still beats it on the list of ideal spots to cuddle. I’ll even let you be little spoon this time, because I’m legit the best boyfriend ever,” Taako says, adding a touch of exaggerated pride to his voice at the end of the sentence.

“And so humble as well, how did I ever get so lucky,” Kravitz quips back, even as the smile on his face grows visibly fonder and he interlaces their fingers and lets himself be led away.


	2. day 2 - hurt/comfort, tenderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things can't always be haha's and fun times in Magnus-town. Lucretia's here to help him through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so soft for Magnus having bonding time with literally anyone and I also wanted to throw some love Lucretia's way and this was the result. Hope you all enjoy <3 
> 
> Also, quick warning for brief description of an anxiety attack towards the end, take care if that kind of thing gets to you.

Unsurprisingly, Lucretia is the first one to notice that something is… different about Magnus after he comes back from that first cycle. Observation is part of her main duty on this journey and there’s good reason why she was picked out of the not insignificant number of applicants for the position of chronicler. She was good at what she did. So while the others may not have noticed the way he trailed behind other crew members even if he didn’t have anything specifically to talk to them about, or the way Magnus would sometimes flinch if someone closed a door or cabinet too hard while he was around, or the way he would sometimes go momentarily quiet with a strained look in his eye when they would talk about the specifics of the attack, Lucretia did. 

She didn’t bring it up to him at first. It didn’t feel like it was her place to. They had spent some time together the last cycle for sure, maybe more than she had with any of the others so far now that she thought of it. A lot of it was spent with her interviewing him about his upbringing, motivations for joining the mission, getting together his profile for the records, y’know, business. That’s not to say they didn’t share a fair amount of friendlier, quieter moments together but playing cards while waiting for their companions to return from their daily endeavors and sharing a few kitchen mishaps together doesn’t beget an immediate deep emotional connection. 

She couldn’t allow herself to pretend not to see these things anymore once she heard the quiet choked sobs coming from his room one night about half way through the year while on her way to the kitchen for some tea. If not for the fact that the ship was quieter than usual with the twins and Merle gone, she was unsure if she would’ve heard it at all. She hesitated at the entrance to his room, noticing that no light was shining from the crack under the door before another muffled sob made its way through the barrier of the door, Magnus’ voice breaking off part way through as if he had been crying for more than just a short while. Lucretia took a moment to draw in a breath before knocking firmly on the door in front of her, quietly enough to not bother those in the nearby rooms but loud enough that she could be sure Magnus would hear it. She heard some shuffling and sniffling before Magnus called out in a croaky voice, “Uh, sorry, just a minute, um-” before a light clicked on and there was the sound of something small being knocked onto the floor followed by some quiet swearing. Lucretia took the time it took for Magnus to shuffle his way over to the door to school her expression into something carefully neutral.

When the door swung open Magnus looked at Lucretia in surprise for a moment before smiling a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hey, Lucy what’s up? Is the scouting crew back or something? I’m starting to miss Taako’s cooking more every day,” he asked in an aloof manner, clearly trying to ignore the fact that she had to have heard at least some of what was going on. Even if she hadn’t though, the red-rimmed eyes would’ve been enough to give it away. Lucretia smiled a little and shook her head.

“Not yet. I was actually wondering if maybe you wanted to join me for some tea? The quiet was starting to bother me a little,” she said, scratching her cheek sheepishly. Magnus nodded enthusiastically, and while it was kind of stiff it wasn't in a way that might suggest he was forcing himself to go along with it. He swiped a hand at one eye and told her to go ahead and that he would meet her there in just a minute.

Lucretia made her way to the kitchen casting a quick Light which cast the room in a soft blue glow, putting some water on to boil and grabbing Merle’s secret stash of chamomile from where he hid it way back in a not often used drawer. He would forgive her for snagging just a little. Magnus shuffled in not long after, having thrown on a robe over his pajamas, which had little drawings of puppies running around on them. Lucretia finished pouring the tea into mugs, adding a spoon of honey to each before sliding the mug carefully over to where Magnus had hopped up to sit on the edge of the counter, kicking his feet a little where they dangled maybe an inch or two above the floor and looking at them with a little smile on his face. He must’ve taken a moment to splash some water on his face before he made his way over, the redness having gone mostly away. Magnus took a sip, breathing out an appreciative sigh and smiling shyly at Lucretia. 

“This reminds me of when I was a kid and my Mama used to make me horchata after I’d come wake her up about nightmares. She’d put cinnamon sticks in it, and I’d beg her for extra whipped cream. Still up there as one of the best drinks I’ve ever had.” he spoke, a fond look on his face as he stared down into the mug.

“My dad would make me hot chocolate and we’d work on jigsaw puzzles whenever there was a thunderstorm coming through. There were quite a few pans ruined from when he’d forget it for too long,” she offers as she leans down to let her elbows rest on the counter with a chuckle which he joined her in.

Magnus was quiet for a few moments before he sets down the mug and asks in a shaky voice, “Do you think we’ll ever get to see them again, Lucretia? Like, I know we saw that-- that thing clearly _ate_ the whole plane but there’s still a chance they’re okay, right? Everyone’s still alive? I… I remember what it was like to be dead and- and it was just so _empty._ They’ve gotta be fine or else-- or else what are we even _doing this for? What are we gonna do?_ ” he rambles, voice pitching up a few octaves at the end and breathing coming a little faster. He hides his face in his palms but that does little to hide the shaking of his whole form and the sniffles coming from behind his hands. 

Lucretia is shaken by that rapid fire list of worries, feeling decidedly out of her depth. She may not be the best at comforting people but damned if she’s just going to watch as one of her companions falls apart right in front of her. She sets her own mug down before walking to stand in front of Magnus, placing a hand on one of his knees and reaching the other up to gently pull his hands away before meeting his eyes and saying in the steadiest voice she can manage, “Breathe, Magnus. None of us know for sure what this force does or what it wants but we’re all working around the clock to find out how to defeat it. At this point there’s just as much reason to believe that everything back home may be fine as there is to believe anything else. They have everyone back at the Institute to protect them and we’ve made it through some pretty rough patches before. We need to stay hopeful.”

Magnus took a few deep breaths, each slightly less shaky than the last before his breath finally leveled out as he wiped at his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I know, I know. It’s just… It’s all so much,” he murmured. “I just wanna go home.”

Lucretia felt her heart ache in sympathy. She had felt much the same many times now. She leaned up slightly to pull Magnus into a hug, not knowing what else to do. The difference in heights must’ve made this position uncomfortable for him but Magnus leaned into the gesture anyway and returned the gesture with a gentle desperation. Lucretia patted his back and whispered, half to herself, “Me too.” And she swore to herself in that moment, that she’d do everything in her power to make sure that they would get to one day.


	3. day 3 - roommates, warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying my hand at writing some Graduation boys. I saw someone ask how cold weather would affect a water genasi recently and it got me thinkin. 
> 
> Anyways, minor mention of spoiler stuff that I think happens around Episode 16 but I cannot find the exact moment for the life of me

Argo groaned and pulled his blankets up over his head as he felt something cold and smooth poke at his cheek. He felt the prodding come again maybe a minute later, clearly undeterred by his efforts to hide himself. He swiped his hand out from his hiding place, surprised when he felt nothing where there clearly should’ve been something. He peeked out to see Snippers standing on the other half of his pillow, gone translucent and spectral to avoid his swatting attempt. The crab made some vaguely offended sounding noises before skittering out of view. It was then that there was the sound of someone knocking at the door, a quick and cheery sound that was very at odds with Argo’s current mood. 

“Argoooo~ Wakey wakey, last one up is a rotten crepe,” Fitzroy sing-songed from the other side of the door. “By which I mean if you don’t get up soon, they’re gonna run out of the good crepe fillings and we can’t go having that now.”

One of the things Argo missed most about being out on the ocean was the ability to sail to the places where the skies were clear and the sun shone warmest. His mother had shared his opinions of winter weather, cursing the biting chill on the winds and spending as much time in her cabin as possible when they had to pass through colder climates. Argo could personally appreciate the aesthetic of it all, all muted colors and the harsher edges of the world around them snow softened, but his body tended to disagree with anything even approaching freezing temperatures. The stone walls of the school seemed to pull in the cold from outside, rather than keep it at bay.

Argo considered rolling back over and ignoring Fitzroy’s calls, staying where it was nice and cozy in bed, but when Snippers started insistently poking at his legs through the blanket, he knew there was little chance of him getting out of this. Glancing at the Firbolg’s resting place he had made on the floor, it was vacant besides the pile of leaves, mosses, and other forest detritus he had brought to sleep on, so Argo could only assume they had long since woken up. Argo suppressed a shiver as he contemplated telling Fitzroy to go away. He rolled out of bed and watched Snippers scuttle under the door before calling out in a voice thick with sleep, “Yeah, yeah, gimme a few minutes.” He took the footsteps walking away from his door as an indication of acceptance and dragged himself through his morning routine, taking a handful of minutes longer than he normally would. 

When he finally came out into the common area, Fitzroy was murmuring to Snippers and feeding him an orange slice. Argo noticed he was wearing his new cloak, an early Candlenights gift from his mother that he had sung praises about for a solid 20 minutes the previous night. It was a deep purple shade, made of heavy velvet cloth with a black satin lining and delicate vines embroidered around its hem in silver thread. Argo felt a small pang of envy, picking at the collar of his worn duster. He had been meaning to replace it for a good while now but with all the running around he was doing for school, the Order, and the literal war effort, he hadn’t found the time. The half elf looked up from his exchange, face turning to one of concern as he noted Argo’s skin looked a duller blue and he was occasionally shivering, even with the extra layers he had donned. 

“Everything alright there friend? Looking a little grey around the gills today if you’ll excuse my expression,” he asked with a curious tilt of his head. 

Argo gave an admittedly stiff laugh, waving a hand in dismissal. “I’m fine, just a teeny bit under the weather. Nothin’ to worry your pretty little head about. Anyway, you said somethin’ about breakfast? Let’s hop to it.” He turned to head towards the exit, doing a poor job of suppressing one of the more intense bouts of shivers. When he reached the door he realized he didn’t hear any footsteps behind him and turned to see what the issue was. Fitzroy was standing in the same space he had been before, arms crossed as he raised a single arched eyebrow, clearly not impressed. Argo held his gaze for a moment before lowering his head and sighing.

“I’m _fine_ , Fitz. The cold just don't agree with me is all, y’know how it is. Not much to really be done about it.” he said with a complacent shrug. Fitzroy looked at him for a moment longer before his eyes lit up, holding up one finger and saying, “Wait right there!” before rushing back into his room. Argo glanced over at Snippers who raised his little claws as if he were shrugging and burbled out a few noises.

It takes about 10 minutes, longer than Argo expects for Fitzroy to come back and when he does, he looks a little ruffled as if he had been rustling around in his stuff. His hands are behind his back as he walks over to where Argo had settled in an armchair by the fireplace with Snippers sitting on one of his legs, burbling happily away while the genasi stroked his shell. 

Fitzroy made his way over to stand right in front of him before clearing his throat once and saying, “I know that I’ve expressly forbidden you from touching any of my cloaks on the threat of death, but as your generous boss and kind-hearted friend, I’m willing to make an exception just this once.” With that he revealed what he had been hiding behind him, holding out a cloak that looks black at first glance but upon closer inspection shimmers a deep blue in the light. It seemed to be made from the same material as Fitzroy’s but that did not explain the unnatural warmth that emanated from it when Argo cautiously took it from his outstretched hands.

Argo looked at Fitzroy in surprise, not sure whether this was a test or if he would suddenly change his mind. Fitzroy just looked at him expectantly, gesturing impatiently and urging him to ‘hurry up and put it on already, it’s not like it’ll bite.’ Argo did as he was told and instantly felt himself relax as he draped it around his shoulders. It was radiating a gentle heat that finally took the edge off of the chill that had felt like it was slinking its way deep into Argo’s bones. 

Fitzroy took notice of this and grinned pridefully, explaining, “I cast Prestidigitation on it so it would be extra warm. Can’t have a valuable member of Thundermen LLC. walking around quite literally shaking in his boots after all, we’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

Argo smiled at him gratefully, patting him heartily on the shoulder and saying, “Right you are boss, right you are.” They both left after Fitzroy shrugged and insisted they delay no longer, complaining about how the mascarpone was probably already gone but not really sounding all that bothered by it. If the cloak kept finding its way back into Argo’s room after he attempted to return it, folded neatly and freshly warmed then that was neither here nor there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl I struggled with this one but I hope you guys enjoyed anyways. Thanks for taking the time to read this <3


	4. day 4 - fall walk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May have hyperfocused on the fall part of the prompt but I just wanted to write something silly and light hearted.  
> Hope you all enjoy <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, spoilers kinda for Stolen Century

Lup could hardly contain her excitement, practically vibrating in place as she leaned over the railing of the Starblaster. It had been quite a few cycles since they had encountered a world that had similar ecological conditions to those on their home world and, as fascinating as some of the more unique biomes they had encountered were, it’s always a relief to find something familiar upon their arrival. None of the worlds they had encountered in the past decade or so had had seasons though, not in the way they experienced them back home. Often, they would have much more consistent climates for the whole or most of a cycle, whether that be due to distance from a sun, amount of suns, orbital routes, or any variety of factors.

So, it was totally understandable for Lup to be reacting the way she was to them arriving to a world, the first in some 60 odd years, that had actual fall. The kind with vibrant reds and yellows and oranges weaving together to form the canopies that blaze like the most beautiful of flames; the kind with crisp but not unkind breezes that prompt you to don your scarves and hats and cozy gear; the kind that are perfect for cuddling up with your blankets and a brother sprawled across your lap as the two of you watch reruns of your favorite Fantasy Bake-off episodes the millionth time. The memories have a bittersweet tinge to them now that you can’t really be certain that you’ll ever get to go back to those times, but for now she just turns to her brother and smiles wickedly as they come to a stop, right on the outskirts of one of the many grouping of tall trees. They reach far higher than the mast of the Starblaster and must’ve been hundreds of years old at least.

Taako met her gaze and grimaced, taking a few steps back from where he had been leaning on the railing as well, appreciating the view in a calmer but no less appreciative manner than his counterpart.

“Lulu no, don’t even fuckin think about it. I don’t want to but I swear to god I will blast the fuck out of you if you even attempt what I think you’re about to do,” he warned, raising his wand at her to illustrate his point. Lup just raised her eyebrows in an expression of mock surprise, approaching her brother with one hand on her chest as if offended. Each step she took corralled him closer to the gangplank, already lowered with the other crew members watching the twin’s shenanigans with varying levels of amusement and exasperation.

“Whatever do you mean, dearest brother of mine? I was just coming closer to ask if you wanted to go scout out this forest with me, y’know, find some cute wildlife or maybe some local produce to work with,” she gushed, sweetness turned up 11 for maximum effect. Taako’s scowl just darkened further as he continued to take measured steps backwards while Lup matched him pace for pace. By this point they were less than 5 feet away from the group and Lup looked over her twins shoulder for just a moment, meeting Magnus’ eyes and nodding at him, hoping he would get her intent. Magnus looked confused for a moment before his eyes lit up in understanding and he began to approach Taako from behind, arms stretched out as if going in for a hug.

The gesture didn’t slip past Taako’s notice and he pivoted immediately but Magnus was already on him, wrapping his arms around the elf and throwing him over his shoulder before running down the gangplank, roaring with laughter. Lup was hot on his heels as he dove right into one of the massive piles of leaves not far from their landing spot, Taako shouting indignantly and thrashing the whole way. The two men were both buried instantly, Taako coming up sputtering and spitting out leaves after a second and shouting an interrupted protest as Lup dived right into him, pushing them both under again. The two wrestled momentarily before Magnus came from somewhere beneath them, sending them both tumbling out as he shouted “MAGNUS!”

Taako sat up from his position on the ground, picking leaves out of his hair and brushing them off his robe as he shot Lup a withering glare from where she laid clutching her sides with laughter, with no real anger behind it. “You’re on laundry duty for like, 4 months. And kitchen cleanup for 2.”

Lup sat up and tried to catch her breath, waving one hand placatingly at him before agreeing in a cheerful tone, “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say dude. Totally worth it for the look on your face.” Taako huffed and flung a handful of leaves at her face, laughing when one made its way into her open mouth and she had to spit it out.

By now the rest of the crew had made their way down and over to where they were, Merle and Barry chuckling at the antics, Lucretia smiling fondly and Davenport admonishing them, saying they could’ve gotten someone hurt (though the smile he was suppressing weakened the impact of his warnings somewhat.) After convincing Magnus to get out of the dang leaf pile already, they all split up to do a quick patrol of the surrounding area.

Magnus, Merle and Davenport formed one group and would take the northward area while Barry, Lucretia, Lup and Taako would head south. After grabbing some supplies from the ship, the two parties went their separate ways, agreeing to meet back at the ship around sunset. The trip itself was rather peaceful, the plan being to make their way out a fair distance before looping back around to pass through the areas they had missed on their way out. Lucretia kept stopping occasionally to sketch some of the local flora and fauna they encountered. She was particularly enchanted by a group of ferret-like creatures they stumbled across in a clearing.

The animals were about three times the size one would expect them and were covered in slim spines like that of a hedgehog. Lucretia and Barry had spent the last 10 minutes trying to get close enough to one of the dens to see what else they could find out, but Barry kept yelping whenever one would get too close or approach a little too quickly. The noise startled the animals and the two kept having to make small retreats to avoid actually upsetting them. Lup and Taako stood a bit closer to the edge of the clearing to avoid crowding in Lup’s case and because Taako was still kind of sulking. Lup laughed when one particularly curious baby, judging by the size of it, tried to rub against Barry’s leg and he kicked it out of instinct. She decided it was probably a good idea to go rescue him before his curiosity got him mauled right away.


End file.
